Like the previous editor noted, the poem is entirely allegorical and whatever happens without its metaphorical meaning is not much of what you can call "action."
With its symbolic meaning added, however, what is happening is that the man is contemplating life in a rare opportunity to "slow down" and "smell the roses" as his horse and he stopped by someones woods, who looked quite lovely during the winter snow. He feels as if even though it is nice to admire that which we want, we must continue to work in our own life's game plan. We must continue to be what we are meant to become and its OK to rest at times, but we need to keep moving.
If all you are talking about is what is literally happening, then there is not much to summarize given how short the poem is.
In the first stanza, not much...
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is happening. All we know is that the speaker is stopping in the woods to watch the snow fall. He knows who the woods belong to, but the man lives in the village and won't see him.
Nothing actually happens in the second stanza. In the third, the pony shakes himself. This causes the bells on his harness to jingle.
Nothing actually happens in the fourth stanza, but it is implied that they drive off.
How would you summarize "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost?
This is a poem with many levels. On the surface, it is basically a simple story about a man and a horse who stop by some woods on an evening when it happens to be snowing. However, the poem’s deeper meaning is about death. The poem can also be seen as a metaphor for suicide.
The poem begins when the speaker stops to look at the woods. He does not think he will be bothered because although he is not sure who the land belongs to, he thinks his house is “in thevillage” so he can’t stop there and think, watching the snow on “the darkest evening of the year” (line 8).
The horse does not want to stop, and “gives his harness bells a shake” (line 9). The noise brings the speaker out of his revelry, and he realizes that he still has “miles to go” and “promises to keep” (stanza 4).
On a deeper level, this poem can be referred to as a metaphor about a person considering suicide. The “darkest evening of the year” might be a mental darkness. The person might be pondering death. However, something urges the person on, and he realizes that he still has a lot of living to do and promises to keep, perhaps to himself and perhaps to others.
Discuss the meaning of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.
One of the great aspects about Robert Frost's poetry is the way that symbolism is used to invite multiple meanings, and this is certainly the case here, with various critics arguing this poem is actually about death, the nature of beauty, responsibility and duty and nature. All such meanings can be supported from an analysis of the poem. I have included a link below to the themes section of eNotes based on this poem for you to gain information on these various meanings.
However, one meaning that strikes me as being worthy of discussion is the way that this poem presents nature. An opposition is created in this poem between nature and the modern world that is built up through images of natural objects that are compared with objects we associate with civilisation. Note the way that the woods and the village are compared in the first stanza, just as in the second stanza a farmhouse is compared with a lake. Even the harness bells of the horse act as a representation of man-made society. This contrast seems to suggest that it is actually very difficult for man to retain any meaningful contact with nature in the modern world. As much as the speaker is entranced by the beauty of nature and the sight that he sees, throughout the poem it is clear that he is always reminded of the human world, and finally, in the final stanza, he says that such a moment cannot last and he must return to his world:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
There is a sense in which the obligations of the society of man make any meaningful and lasting relationship with nature impossible, as the speaker sees that his various "promises" and the journeying he has to make are more important than enjoying the sublime beauty of what is before him.
Explain the poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."
In this poem, a man rides through the woods. It's dark and there is someplace he needs to be. However, he stops for a moment to watch the snow fall. He doesn't tell us why he stops, but we can surmise he is suddenly struck by the beauty of the snowflakes swirling in the darkness and stillness of the woods.
In the next two stanzas, his horse acts surprised, which indicates how unusual it is for this man to pause and enjoy the beauty of a moment. The horse seems to be used to his owner hurrying to and fro, eager to get on with the business of life. "My little horse must think it queer" the man muses in stanza two. In stanza three, the horse shakes his harness bells "to ask if there is some mistake." The repetition of the horse's surprise underscores how odd it is for this man to indulge in enjoying life's momentary pleasures.
The last stanza is filled with longings and regrets. The man would love to prolong this magical moment of beauty and oneness with nature, but he must move on. He writes:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
The poem thus reveals the tension between living in the moment and living to fulfill goals and responsibilities.